, 1887-05-01
ELFIE.

1t was last Christmas that 1 first met
and fell in love with Ellie; it was last
Christmas that my devoted humble adj
mHation OF women in general changed in
one moment into love, devoted. humble
and unutterable, for woiaanA-or rather,
giri-in particular.
l met her at a party at our wears,
y;hither | had escorted my mother and
sister. These vicarage parties are yearly
affairs, to which the prominent. long es-
tabli5hed members Of DIR. Ridgway's
lock are invited; and they border on the
u~nendurable. I arrived at q little past
; with my mother and sister, who had
both been dressed and aching to be gone
for three-quarters of an hour. There
were the usual signs of Christmas fes-
tiyity inside the vicarage: ga Peaceful
Christmas was inscribed over the draw
ing room door, in red paper letters, run
ming all down at one corner; q bunch Of
green hanging from the hall lamp;
welcome" in holly leaves. on d white
ground. lower down the hall; "a Happy
New Year," in letters that began very
large and ended a good deal smaller. run
ming up beside the staircase.
Miss Ridgway greeted us kindly, but as
from a great height, and supplied us with
r~efreshment. Passing across the hall we
were met by the younger Miss Ridgway,
Miss Lottie.
Il can't think how it is you come to
our dreadful parties, " said Miss Lottie to
me, in low, confidential tones, as she
accompanied US into the drawing room.
They are perfectly unbearable, and
dreadfully duli 1 can't imagine what
papa means by being 30 stupid"
The evening dragged on for a quarter
Of an hour or 30. Miss Ridgway played
a fugue, the like of which for difficulty
and ugliness was never heard; Miss Lot
tie sang a ballad, 81 Only Ask Thy Heart
and Home" and a shy young man, of
apopletic appearance, put his life in i'm
minent peril over the high notes in Gou-
mods Nazareth
was standing near a group of doomed
creatures, who were fitting their aching
eyes to stereoscopes, and talking in whis-
pers of the views thus obtained, when the
drawing room door was thrown open and
the last visitors arrived-a delicate, re-
fined looking, middle aged lady; entering
behind her came the embodiment of all
my vague dreams Of the beautiful, a
bright creature of fancy in human form,
q vision, a-pshawi l beg pardon Of the
practicai-bshind her entered = tall, fair
girl Of eighteen, whose delicate skin and
short, curly, golden hair were most be-
comingiy set off by a plain, black velvet
gown.
Here's Mrs. Reid at iasti,' said Lot
tie Ridgway, who was still beside me.
They're new p~arishioners, the Reids.
We asked the professor, too; but his wife
says he never goes to parties-awfuI old
mani l suppose you think Ellie Reid
pretty? and SO she is, or would be if she
were not so shy and quiet. 1 do like a
girl to have a little sparkier'
But / had nc longer any BARS for Miss
Lottie's condolences; ] had no longer any
eyes for the ''sparkle' which she priced
SO highly in herself, and the lack OF
which she deplored in others. Ny heart
isapt u from behind my dress shirt
'front.', flew across the vicarage drawing
room and went into Ellie Reds keeping
forever.
| got an introduction to Mrs. Reid; ]
s,ot en- introduction to her lovely daugll.
~. Armed with a Large book OF Italian
We've, | sst down beside the latter. sc
l.,ager wa the evening dull and slow; no
leT were books of views a mockery
Ai.L a.. insult. We looked at the views
togetiiel. l explained them to her. She
l~iAi.orl It me out of her shy, ransy blue
vyes; jslir smiled and showed the ~loveliest
OF tetsi.: aie said the views were very
line and most interesting" She also said:
Thank you very much for showing them
TO me, !" as l reluctantly closed the volume.
don't know that she said much more
than that. When no one was speaking
to her she sat quite still, her mittened
hands folded-so re~freshingly calm and
quiet! so fair and innocent-in her simple
black velvet frock, with white frills at the
throat and elbows-so different from the
ordinary drawing room bellies, who must
needs always be biting their lips to show
,j.o" pretty and red they are, and fash
irE end winking their eyes TO show how
S,.ss and bright they are; ogling, grim
A.ig, struggling, grimacing, and, in
Gaen ridiculous consciousness of beauty,
song almost as near spelling that beauty
as even their rivals could wish!
such was my first meeting with Ellie.
In the weeks that followed l set all my
ingenuity to work-and ingenuity urged
on by love develops to a wonderful ex-
tsnt-to improve my acquaintance with
the Reid family. 1 haunted the neigh
pOfnOOQ OIL Ihen mouse. IN one or TWO
occasions 1 had the good fortune to en-
counter Mrs. Reid and her daughter in
their own square, and my slavish devo-
ton on these meetings was at length re-
warded by the elder Ady's telling me in
languidly agreeable tones that she was
lat home" every Thursday evening. /
thought then, in my joy, that surely here
was q royal road to q speedy and success
ful courtship, But after attending as
many of Mrs. Reds Thursday evenings
as l dared, 1 found myself no further OH
the road to happiness; Ellie was so quiet,
SO shy, so reserved! l never got more
than half a dozen words with her tn,
whole evening.
h only other member of the family
was a prodigy boy Of 10, who attended
one of the city schools, and whose gilt
and calf bound prizes glittered on every
shelf and table in the home drawing
room. This boy, Alfred by name, pos
scssed an appalling and uncanny store 81
information ON almost every subject.
He was a constant terror to the young